Swedish Published Specification No. 418 050 and its counterpart U.S. Pat. No. 3,925,855, published on Dec. 16, 1975 and having the same inventor and applicant as the present invention, teach a quickly-attachable button arrangement that comprises a button head and a combined button-head attachment and holding device in the form of a one-piece structure. In this case, the button-head holding part of the combination device comprises a plurality of barbs which face towards the button head at a distance therefrom, and the button attachment part of the device comprises an elongated, needle-like part, the end of which distal from the button head is hard and pointed and the intermediate part of which connected to the button-head holding device and adjacent to the button head is resilient or elastic.
The barbs located on the button-head holding part are intended to engage the material on the side thereof opposite the button head, in a manner to hold the button head firmly on the material. The button-head attachment part of the device has a form which enables it to penetrate the material to which the button arrangement is to be attached.
A particular feature of the known quick-attachment button arrangements is that they present a part which is so elastic that when the button-head attachment part of said device is pushed or screwed through the material and subjected to a tension or pulling force, the barbs will pass through the material and take a position spaced therefrom. When the tension force is removed from the combined attachment and holding device, the barbs move into holding engagement with the material as the elastic attachment device retreats.
The barbs extend laterally over a relatively wide area beyond the attachment device, such as to form one or more material support surfaces when engaging the aforesaid opposite side of the material. These support surfaces must be located adjacent a counter-support provided on the button head, such that the material will be held firmly between the counter-support and the support surfaces when the button arrangement is used.
The elongated needle-like button attachment part of said device is given a hardness which increases progressively from the button head to the point of said attachment part.
This known button arrangement may also be provided with recesses at a location inwardly of those parts of the barbs that are located nearest the needle-like part of the button-head attachment device, these recesses facilitating removal of the needle-like part.
The button-head attachment device illustrated and described in Swedish Patent Specification No. 331 922 also forms part of the known prior art.
This attachment device is intended for securing a button head or a label to an article of clothing which comprises at least two layers of material.
This attachment device has the form of a rigid needle which is bent to form firstly a shank part which is located substantially centrally of the button head and projects rearwardly from the rear side thereof, or preferably from a button-like projection formed in the vicinity thereof, secondly an arcuately curved part which has a free, pointed end and forms an open loop that encircles the shank part in a plane substantially perpendicular thereto, and thirdly an intermediate part which connects the shank with the outer needle part and has the form of a clamp-like hook part which extends radially and projects slightly outside the plane of the outer needle part and the radial outer part of which is located essentially in the same plane as the outer needle part and merges therewith through a laterally extending and rounded knee, wherewith the outer needle part has a length which is so restricted as to form an opening between its free, pointed end and the knee, such that the outer needle part and the intermediate part together have a configuration resembling the letter "G" when seen from one side.
Furthermore, the free end part of the needle-part of the device shall be gently curved inwardly towards the shank part, so as to form a hook which lies in the plane of the outer needle part and the point of which, representing the free pointed end of the outer needle, is directed radially towards but spaced radially from the shank part of the device and is located substantially opposite to but spaced from the central region of the intermediate part of the needle, by a distance which is roughly twice as large as the radial dimension of the hook.